


Fly

by Boatise



Category: Coronation Street, Paula Martin - Fandom, Sophie Webster - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-20 18:55:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21061541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boatise/pseuds/Boatise
Summary: The missing pieces to Sophie and Paula's farewell.





	Fly

**Author's Note:**

> Corrie left us all hanging, the crucial scene laying on the cutting room floor somewhere! So, I made up my own version of things. Hope you enjoy and that it satisfies some of those questions looming out there.
> 
> Cheers!

Paula closed her eyes as the door slammed, Sophie retreating out the front door, away from Paula after the mess she’d just made of things. _Well, you handled that well, Paula. _She felt like a ton of bricks was sitting on her chest. How could Sophie think she was just trying to bin her off? It was killing her to give her up and send her off to have the time of her life, and with Kate Conner of all people. Couldn’t Sophie understand Paula was trying to be selfless? Trying to nudge her out of her comfort zone so she could get out into the world and live a little?

Over the last week, Paula had done some serious soul searching where her partner was concerned, and she knew, begrudgingly, that their relationship would not last unless Sophie got out of her rut and let go of the fear that rooted her to Weatherfield. Paula hated to admit it, but Sophie might very well be clinging so hard to her and their relationship out of that fear, and not simply because she loved her. Paula represented stability, a foundation Sophie thought she needed in order to move through her everyday life, which, in and of itself was not a bad thing, but Paula knew it would eventually be their downfall as Sophie would never feel like she was standing solid on her own two feet.

The solicitor sighed heavily, knowing that she was going to have to be strong enough to let Sophie go, _make_ Sophie go, so they might have a future together, a future Paula so wanted. She loved the young woman who had captured her heart so deftly, satisfied her physically in ways no one ever had, kept her on her toes and made her laugh on the regular. But in order to keep that, she would have to push Sophie out into the world to find the pieces of herself she’d buried deep within, afraid to let out into the sunlight.

Paula stood from where she was anchored on the arm of the chair and headed over to number 4, where Sophie would most likely have gone to find some comfort from her mum, Paula’s friend, the reason the two of them had even been introduced in the first place. Paula thought back to the first time she laid eyes on Sophie and her heart fluttered a bit. She remembered so keenly the immediate effect the young brunette had had on her, so much so that she had been drawn to her friend’s daughter like yin to its yang, an unstoppable force pulling them together in search of wholeness.

When Sophie had kissed Paula unexpectedly, out of the blue, sitting there on Sally’s couch, the electricity that flowed through her excited her to no end. Their magnetic attraction to one another was overpowering. Paula should have been able to control herself, be the seasoned adult that she is, manage the thrill of the taboo that a clandestine affair with her old friend and client’s daughter represented, but in the end she had failed miserably and allowed herself the pleasure of having Sophie physically and emotionally despite the alarm bells going off in her head.

When they split up at Sally’s trial, Paula thought her need for Sophie would wane, fizzle out and she would just count their time together as an experience of life and Paula would move on, perhaps to someone more suitable chronologically. But she couldn’t shake her yearning for the gorgeous young woman who had captured her heart, something Paula had not expected. She fell in love with the girl, her client’s daughter nearly 30 years her junior, so she sought her out again, to soothe her loneliness, to satisfy her urges, to fill her heart.

When they reunited, it felt like Paula had come home from a long and arduous journey. Sophie filled in her some empty space she’d carried inside her whole life, completely unaware that it existed until young brunette had somehow poured herself into the chasm, permeating every nook and cranny, warming Paula from the inside out. Removing that comfort would be like pulling the roots of a tree from the soil around it that it needed for survival. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to do it.

Paula knocked at number 4, the door opening to Sally’s understanding face. “Is she here?” asked the wounded solicitor. Sally nodded and moved into the living room, Paula right behind her.

Sophie looked up, eyes red and puffy from crying, and the tears flowed harder as Paula entered.

“Sophie, darling, please can we talk about this?” Paula moved toward her tentatively, like approaching a spooked deer, not wanting it to run off. “Come with me to the conservatory,” directed Paula, gently grasping Sophie’s hand and tugging on it gently. Paula could feel Kevin’s steely stare penetrating her. They had never quite gotten back on good terms since the fiasco with the burglary, and she knew he was hoping she and Sophie would break up for good this time.

Kevin stuck his oar in, “Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage?” the mechanic spouted.

“Kevin Webster, you will keep out of this, do you hear me?” Sally nearly shouted at her ex-husband. She knew Paula loved her daughter, now she needed Paula to convince Sophie of that truth, and without the meddling of an angry, protective father.

Sophie followed Paula out into the windowed room, the light of day beginning to fade slightly. Paula knew she had to work fast, or Sophie would miss her flight.

Sophie sat heavily on the couch, her arms folded over her chest, seemingly closed off to anything her partner, ex-partner? – had to say.

“Listen, I’m sorry if I’ve gone about this the wrong way. I’m only trying to do what’s best for you,” Paula began in earnest.

“Oh, and breaking my heart, again, is what’s best for me, is it?” spat the hurt young woman.

“Perhaps I’ve not made myself clear,” said Paula softly as she paced slowly in front of Sophie. “It’s not that I _want _you to go, Sophie, because truth be told, I’d be happy to continue with things the way they are – you going to college, me working, us building our life together. But,” she faltered, her emotions getting in the way of her rational brain, “how long would that really last, eh? A month or two, six at the most?” She stopped and perched on the edge of the sofa, next to her lover. “Sophie, you need to get out into the world and live, for you. When I said we are at different stages of our lives, it wasn’t a brush off to get rid, I simply meant that I have had the experiences of freedom from all the responsibilities that come with life – career, relationship, kids, flat – but you, you’re so responsible and always have been, that you’ve not let yourself be free. Now that you have the financial means to go and do whatever you want, and a friend out there to do it with, who am I to hold you down? You owe it yourself to seek your truth.”

“But I love you,” squeaked an emotional Sophie.

“Oh, darling, I love you, too. So very much,” said Paula, gently cupping her partner’s face. “And believe me when I say that letting you go is breaking my heart into a million pieces, but if we are to survive, be together for the long haul, which is very much what I want, then I must let you go and pray that you come back to me.”

“But why can’t I just stay here? We can be together, Paula. I don’t want to leave you.”

“I know you don’t, but it’s what’s best for YOU, love, don’t you see that? College is holding you down, and so am I.”

“You’re not, though!” argued Sophie.

“I am. You just can’t see it right now,” said Paula. “Earlier, you called me a control freak and said I forced you into going to college and those comments stemmed from something you must believe deep down.”

“I didn’t mean it. I was just hurt that you were trying to get rid of me,” cried Sophie.

“But you must think on some level that I am in the driver’s seat of our relationship and you’re just along for the ride, no matter how willing. And I don’t want that for us, Sophie. I want an equal partnership, where we make decisions together, for us to move forward in a direction we both want to go, not you feeling like you need to do what I want in order to please me. If we are on equal footing, moving forward will be easy, not difficult.”

“Well, how does me traveling make us equals?”

“Sophie, when have you ever done something just for yourself? Something YOU wanted to do, just for the pleasure of it, not something for someone else and you tagged along, like going to college for me, or to Miami to see Rosie?”

Sophie’s face scrunched up. “Well, I, uhm …”

“My point exactly! You’re 24 years old and you need to get out into that great big world and discover all the things that make you happy, set your soul on fire. Traveling stretches you in ways you didn’t know you could stretch, and it informs you as to who you are meant to become. If you stay here, you will wither and we will not make it, Sophie. You will eventually come to resent me and how I ‘forced’ you to go to college, which I know you hate, by the way,” a knowing look pulling across both their faces. “This is your time to extend your wings and fly, baby. Go and fly,” whispered the solicitor. “Get out there and let your hair down, laugh every day, take in the different cultures, learn to ride an elephant, stand under a waterfall and let it cleanse your soul, eat new foods and make new friends. Weatherfield is going nowhere; it will be here when and if you decide to come home. And so, will I.”

“But I’m afraid, Paula. What if you don’t want me when I get back? What if you meet someone else and …” her voice began to break.

“Oh, my darling Sophie, it will likely be the other way ‘round. You are so beautiful and intelligent and kind and sexy … you will come home and have outgrown me.”

“That will never happen! I love you so much, Paula. I don’t want to be apart from you,” said Sophie, pulling Paula into a frantic hug, her fingers digging into the solicitor.

“That’s just your fear talking, love. Don’t be afraid, Sophie. Spread your wings and soar above the clouds.” Paula’s tears began to flow as the reality set in that her love would be leaving her. She wanted to tell her not to go, to stay and move into her new flat with her so they could build their life together. She wanted to wrap her girl in her arms and never let her go. She pulled back and placed her lips on Sophie’s, kissing her deeply, needing to feel their connection, praying to God that Sophie would indeed come back to her. “Now, listen to me,” the solicitor sniffled, “you need to go finish packing and get your stuff together. Cambodia and Bon Om Touk wait for no one! And Kate is expecting you,” said Paula, her voice quivering.

“You know I love _you_, not Kate, right?” pronounced Sophie, kissing Paula again. “I promise I’ll come back to you,” the young woman whispered as she clung to the solicitor, not wanting to release her, needing to commit the feeling of their lips moving against one another to her memory.

“You’d better, because I don’t want to let you go,” said Paula, her throat thick with emotion, but her resolve to do just that firmly in place. She stood up and pulled Sophie up with her, hugging her to her again. “Come on, I’ll help you finish up.” Paula began to step toward the door to the house and was pulled back gently.

Sophie looked Paula in the eye. “Thank you,” she said resolutely. “If it weren’t for you, I’d never be able to do this.”

“Oh, yes you would, darling. You’re stronger than you realize.”

“I’ll stay true to you while I’m away, Paula. I promise.”

“I don’t want you to make me any promises, Sophie. I want you to go and be free and figure out if I am really what you want. You see, I know you are what I want, but I think I’m getting the better deal here. I’ve lived a lot of life and I know who I am inside, flaws and all. You still have to figure that part out for yourself. I don’t ever want you to settle for anything less than what you want and deserve.”

“I know that I’m in love with you. Isn’t that enough?”

“Oh, I certainly hope so, darling. But you must go and get that answer for yourself. I’ll be here waiting for you. But if somewhere along the way you discover you want something else, live your truth, Sophie. I will always understand and support that.”

Sophie’s eyes filled with tears and her heart flooded with emotion for this woman in front of her, so strong and beautiful. “I will always want you, Paula. No matter how many festivals I go to or how many miles I travel, I will come back to be with you.”

Paula held Sophie close to her, her chest overwhelmed with sorrow to think of her lover leaving her. “Let’s get a move on,” said Paula, afraid she was going to break down and beg Sophie to stay.

The tear-stained pair made their way back into the house to find a concerned but hopeful Sally. “So, is everything okay with you two, then?” asked the blonde.

Sophie could only nod her head, her throat too thick to utter a word.

“I am going to help her finish packing up. Tim, can you get a taxi over to number 13 in half an hour?” Paula asked.

“Sure, love. I’ll give a shout now,” confirmed Tim.

Paula and Sophie walked back over the cobbles, hand in hand, holding onto one another for a few more minutes. Sophie gathered the rest of her clothes, toiletries, phone charger, shoes, socks, two journals and some simple jewelry that Paula had given her. She finished placing all her things in her bags and her dad took them out to the cab for her, leaving the two of them alone one last time.

“Well, I guess that’s all of it,” said a scared but excited Sophie. “Are you sure you don’t want to pack your own bag and come with me?”

“Of course, I want that, and I’d do it in a minute, but, unfortunately, that would defeat the purpose.” Paula wrapped her arms around Sophie’s waist and pulled her close, placing their foreheads together. “You’re going to be brilliant out there and you’re going to prove to yourself how strong you are.”

“Can’t I be strong with you by my side?” chuckled Sophie.

“Only once you’ve got your feet and come home to me. Then, we will be brilliant together.” Paula leaned in for one last kiss, lingering for as long as she dare, their lips moving together perfectly, tongues tasting one last time. “I’m going to miss you terribly,” breathed Paula heavily as she felt Sophie’s hands clinging to her body.

The cab horn honked.

“I’ve got to go,” said Sophie. Paula only nodded silently. She grabbed her purse and headed to the street.

The whole family was on the sidewalk lined up to say their farewells, so Sophie hugged each of them, tears streaming down her face. She was so nervous about what she was about to do, stepping out into the unknown, on her own. But though she was terrified, she was also thrilled, excited to let go of all her responsibilities and just be free. She let go of Jack and moved over to Paula and wrapped her up tightly in her arms, the tears coming down in streams.

Paula hugged her tight, and for a split second she nearly changed her mind about letting her go. Instead, she said to her lover, “Just promise me one thing, yea? You have a blast!” She put her hands-on Sophie’s face, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” said the young brunette as she wiped tears from her cheeks. She walked over and got into the cab and waved as it drove off, around the corner and out of sight.

Paula watched the car take her darling away and her heart nearly shattered. _Go and fly, my love. _

Sally grabbed Paula’s hand and squeezed it in thanks and in support of her old friend. She knew Paula truly loved her daughter and had made a very difficult decision in pushing Sophie to go. She would be there to help Paula with the heartache and loneliness that would surely come.

Just then Paula’s phone chimed. She pulled it from her pocket and read the text.

Sally looked at her. “Sophie?” she asked.

“No. It’s my estate agent. Looks like Claudia accepted my offer on the flat. We are going to be neighbors!” Paula grinned. It was all so bittersweet. She had thought initially that it would be her and Sophie living together down the road, now it would be just her, at least until Sophie returned, if she returned.

“Oh, well that’s wonderful news,” said Sally. “We will have to celebrate at the Bistro!”

“Perhaps another time, eh, Sal? Right now, I just need some time to myself if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll let it go this time, but I want you to listen to me Paula Martin. What you just did for Sophie was incredibly selfless. And you’re going to be okay. I’ll make sure of it,” offered Sally. Then she looked at her friend and said with certainty, “Her heart belongs to you, ya know?”

And with that, the tears came. “Oh, god, Sal, what have I done?” she cried, and her knees nearly buckled. The tears seeped out and wouldn’t stop.

“Come on. You’re going to come sit with me and have a glass of wine and we’re going to talk it all out. You’ve made the right decision in letting her go, Paula. I won’t let you forget that.”

Paula just nodded and followed Sally back over to number 4. As they reached the stoop, Paula’s phone chimed again. This time it was Sophie.

*_My love for you is strong and unwavering and we will be together again. I promise. I love you and I will never stop! XOXO Your Sophie*_


End file.
